Bold lips have officially taken a backseat to bold eye makeup looks. Historically, lipstick sales have been resilient even through devastating wars and crippling recessions. However, protective face masks – the mandatory accessory for all social engagements – have diminished the need to paint our lips. According to a Telegraph report, eye makeup sales are up 204% year-on-year for the second quarter of 2020. In the (unexpected) era of ‘above the mask makeup,’ mascara, eye shadow, and even brow makeup sales have witnessed a significant uptick. In fact, WGSN has predicted ‘embellished brows’ to be a huge beauty trend by 2021. Eyes – now our only visible facial feature – have become the focus of our makeup routines.
The matter of dressing up your eyes to stand out just the right amount – without overdoing it – remains the trickiest part of our peri-pandemic makeup routine. Thankfully, after hours of scrolling through Instagram, TikTok makeup tutorials, and beauty history books, we’ve curated the chicest way to decorate your eyes.
Scroll down to discover Savoir Flair‘s favorite bold eye makeup looks that promise to elevate your #MaskMakeup look.
Embellishments
Ariana Grande has always been our go-to girl for standout beauty looks, and this time is no exception. With curled-out lashes, a thick cat-eye flick, and attention-grabbing eye stickers, it’s safe to say that the pop star holds a top spot on the bold eye makeup leaderboard.
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Twiggy Eyes
When it comes to beauty, Simi and Haze Khadra are not ones to hold back. The twin sisters’ bold makeup looks have proved to be a beauty inspiration, and a nod of approval from them can mean only one thing: Twiggy eyelashes are trending. Twiggy eyelashes – which were massively popular during the red carpet season earlier this year – continue to emerge as one of the season’s strongest eye makeup trends.
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Graphic Eyeliner
Exaggerated eyes were destined to be huge this season, pandemic or not – and the Fall/Winter 2020 runways are proof. Among all the neon eyeshadows and heavy embellishments, graphic eyeliners emerged as a crowd favorite.
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Glitter
A little glitter never hurt anybody. In fact, it can instantly glam up any look. While glitter shadow is the easiest way to go about the look, stick-on glitter makes a striking choice if you’re feeling gutsy.
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Bold Eyeshadow
While opting for bold eyeshadow sounds like the simplest way to achieve a dazzling eye makeup look, it is not as easy to accomplish as it might seem. Vivid colors, ombre hues, smokey eyes, and even metallic eye shadows are the popular tools to up your eye game. Want to add some extra glam to your eyeshadow look? Finish it with a quick cat-eye flick à la Viktoria Magrath.
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Lash Extensions
Albeit tricky and (sometimes) time consuming, lash extensions are the easiest way to elevate your eye makeup game. Perfect for casual social engagements and even work meetings, long, curled-out lashes are guaranteed to transform your look.
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Bold Eyebrows
We are all familiar with using our faces as canvases for our lockdown beauty experiments, and Elle Fanning is no different. Her quirky makeup look, complete with a dual-colored cat-eye flick, poppy pink eyeshadow, and colored mascara (turned into eyebrow enhancer), has inspired us to explore dazzling brow looks.
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Brushed-Up Brows
If embellished and colorful eyebrows feel like a brave move to you, brushed-up brows are a subtler way to go. Effortless and quick, brushed-up brows are the easiest way to frame your face.